Reunion
by Vampite
Summary: Chell thought she had finally left Aperture behind her, and it looks like she was wrong.
1. The News

Chell finished her sentence with a flourish, and then closed her tattered blue notebook. She stacked it on top of her Chemistry textbook, and then picked the two books up. Walking into her bedroom, she flicked the light on, and then set the books beside her open bag.

"_We come to you tonight with a story about science lab Aperture Science..."_

Chell straightened, and tilted her head to the side. She hurried back into the living room, and sunk into the couch. She hadn't thought about her time at Aperture for months, she felt she was finally starting to leave that part of her life behind. The nightmares had stopped, and she had recovered physically a long time ago. Yet, it seemed as if Aperture had a way of haunting her. It was as if it was saying it would always be a part of her life, no matter if she liked it or not.

"_Aperture Science, which saw its peak in the 1960's, has always been shrouded in mystery. Rumours of teleportation technology, paints that could change properties of any surface, and turrets that were fast and easy to manufacture made their way up to the surface. Aperture declared bankruptcy many years ago, but stories of its heyday are finally becoming known. Hundreds of miles of the Aperture laboratories still lay underground. As of yesterday, it has been discovered that they are still taking power, and therefore, operational. What could be happening in these secretive caverns? Field reporter Angelia Dominic talks to us from one of the entrances to these thought to be abandoned labs."_

As the camera changed and the new reporter introduced the scene, Chell's jaw dropped. Hundreds of people, some citizens and some scientists, were standing outside the shed in the wheat field she had emerged from a mere year ago.

"_Angelia, tell us about what is going on there."_

"_Yes, Hannah. As you can see behind me, scientists from the CALIB Research Enterprise are currently trying to make their way into this shed, which is said to have an entrance into the below ground Aperture Science Facility. I spoke with one of the heads of the operation, Dr. Wayne James, and he had this to say."_

The camera changed again, and Chell leaned forward in her seat.

"_The possibilities of what we can find down in these labs are numerous," _The scrawny man in a slightly oversized lab coat told the camera. _"We are unsure, however, why the facility is still using power. It's impossible for any humans to be down in the laboratories, and all test centres were ordered closed years ago. All automated procedures should have shut down by this point."_

Chell widened her eyes. It was no surprise to her that the old Aperture Enrichment Centre was still using power. GLaDOS was still alive. Had the people above ground not known of the violent AI that controlled everything below them? She stood up, and walked back to her bedroom. She tugged on her closet door, and it creaked open. Lying in the back corner, almost concealed behind the filing cabinet in front of it, lay the tarnished, burned Companion Cube that she had dragged out of the wheat field with her.

In the center of the heart facing up was a bright yellow light. Chell tugged the cube out of the corner of her closet, and set it on her bed, with the yellow light facing her. The light flickered, and Chell realized it was an eye, the same as the ones that had been on the personality cores. The eye widened, and spun.

Chell knew what she had to do. She had to go back. It was time for her to go back to the Aperture laboratories. With a new, determined look on her face, she dove back into her closet, rummaging in the slightly disorganized boxes sitting at the back. She saw the flash of orange, and pulled out her wrinkled orange jumpsuit. She threw it onto the bed, and reached further into the box until she felt the cold metal of her long fall boots. With a bit of tugging, she managed to get each of them out. She quickly changed into her jumpsuit, and strapped the boots to her legs. The Companion Cube's light was blinking fast now, as if it realized what it was about to do and was excited.

Chell stood up, shuddering at the all too familiar feeling of the bounce in her step the boots added. It was hard for her to explain even to herself why she was doing this, but she knew she had to. She walked back into the kitchen, and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. The walk back to the field would be a long one, and hopefully by the time she got there, it would be deserted. Flicking off all the lights and the TV, she put her hand on the doorknob leading out of her small apartment.

She could almost hear GLaDOS' voice in her head, telling her how much of a moron she was being. That was one thing she hadn't forgotten about Aperture, all the things that crazed AI had said to her. Even after all this time, she wondered what had happened to GLaDOS after she had left. Had she been down there alone forever? Or had she found some new way to test, returning to as normal as the facility had been before Chell?

Chell smiled a bit as she turned the door handle. She was about to find out what GLaDOS had been up to, and see her delight at seeing Chell again. Chell was sure that she would be thrilled.

**A/N: I originally intended this story to only be one chapter... but it is a quite cliff-hanger ending. So possibly more chapters, possibly it'll stay like this. Either way, thanks for reading! :D**


	2. The Walls Are Alive

It was dark when Chell made it to the field, and as she had thought it was deserted, except for machinery. She slowed as she reached the shed, and walked carefully, as if it could jump alive and bite her. After a final check to see if anyone was around, she slipped into the old shack.

It was completely empty, and completely dark, except the faint glow emitting from her portal gun. She looked around, waiting for her eyes to adjust. All she saw was the four walls holding up the rickety roof. She crouched down, touching the floor where she was sure there used to be an elevator shaft. There was absolutely nothing. Chell touched the wall, looking for a switch or button to press. As soon as her hand touched the cool metal, she heard a click. A small red light appeared higher up on the wall. It quickly flicked off again, and Chell felt the ground underneath her rumble. Slowly, two panels of floor slid away from each other, opening up so a familiar looking oval shaped Aperture elevator could slide up through them.

The doors of the elevator slid open, as if truly welcoming Chell home. Picking up her portal gun, she stepped inside the elevator, and it began its descent into the miles deep facility. Chell didn't know what would be waiting for her down there, but she knew she had to see.

"Dr. James!"

The tall man turned around to face the worker running towards him. "Yes?"

"We can't find an entrance, Dr. James. Are you sure..."

"Yes, I am sure," he hissed, "and you are clearly not trying hard enough. Do you know what is in that laboratory? Do you know how many trillions of dollars in technology is down there? Find a way in. And make it quick."

The worker sighed. "Yes, Dr. James."

The scientist watched the worker walk back over to the shack. The area underneath his feet at this very moment meant everything. It meant saving his whole research centre from going bankrupt. It meant all the recognition he deserved but never got. It meant he would be famous.

The elevator ride down was a long one, and from what Chell could see the facility was almost back to the old way it looked the first time she had ran through testing, surgically clean and precise. She could only hope that meant nothing had gone wrong, that the facility would be able to fight off the people trying to steal its secrets. Going down in the elevator, she felt the familiar feeling that the labs were alive, that the entire underground Enrichment Center was alive and breathing. She had never known if she felt that because she knew that GLaDOS was always there, always watching, and that she was never alone, or if the walls around here were truly alive, living through some weird force of science invented by Cave Johnson's men.

The elevator jolted to a stop, and the doors opened. Chell stepped out into the lit hallway. She really had no plan from this point, but she was sure the correct answer would become apparent to her, as it always did when she tested. She tightened her grip on the portal gun, and shot two portals on either side of the hallway. They came to life with the small zapping sound that she would always remember, and she smiled. She felt more in power now, she felt better now that she was assured she had her portal gun with her. She set off down the hallway, confident that she would find something to guide her in the right direction.

Chell took the first turn she came to, and stopped as she ended up in front of a door with a very familiar style. A red lighted surveillance camera sat on top of the door. As soon as she came within a few feet of it, the camera moved, lens focusing on her. She smiled, knowing that the computer behind it would be getting quite a shock right now.

A familiar, quiet laugh echoed through the loudspeaker system as the doors opened. Chell walked through into a testing chamber, one she hadn't seen before. She saw the solution quickly, and shot the two portals into their place. Running, she leaped onto the blue gel on the floor, and catapulted herself forward into her blue portal.

It felt _good_ to be testing again. Chell never imagined she would have that thought, but it was true. She landed right in front of the door, and almost laughed at the purely amazing feeling of her long fall boots kicking into effect. The door glided open as she walked up to it, and she ran into the awaiting elevator. It took her up, much longer than it usually took to get between testing chambers. Finally, the doors opened, right into the hallway she was accustomed to, the one she knew lead straight to GLaDOS. She walked down it, clutching her portal gun. She didn't know what GLaDOS was thinking, bringing her here, and she was prepared to fight her again if she had to. The large doors in front of her remained closed as she approached them. She stood there, waiting. There was a loud metallic clang, and the doors slid open. GLaDOS, restored in all her former glory, swivelled to get a good look at Chell.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?"

Chell smiled, and didn't move.

"You mute lunatic, why are you here?"

Chell almost laughed, but kept smiling at the insane robot in front of her.

"Stop that, what if your face gets stuck like that? Humans look ridiculous enough already."

Chell rolled her eyes. At least she didn't have to worry about GLaDOS being lonely.

**A/N: By popular demand, I've decided to write a bit more of this story (thank you Captain Obvious). No word on how long it'll be yet, but from the outline I have now it's going to end up being a long one. So much for sticking with writing one shots, hah. Reviews, good and constructively bad, are always loved!**


	3. GLaDOS is Always Right

Chell didn't know exactly how she was going to warn GLaDOS of what was happening on the surface, or what GLaDOS could do about it. What she did know was that it somehow felt wrong to just let people break into Aperture without doing something about it.

She opened her mouth, but she couldn't find the words she needed to explain the situation, or more importantly, why she was here. Being mute in the presence of GLaDOS had been automatic, and she was struggling to say anything, let alone something that made sense.

GLaDOS's bright amber optic widened and spun as it stared at Chell, analysing her.

"Were you really not satisfied with me just letting you go? Were you determined to come back and _murder_ me again? You're not doing very well; I thought I should make that clear." GLaDOS's voice boomed out of the speakers, making Chell smile wryly. GLaDOS had reverted to her old bitter self in her time in solitude.

Chell turned around at the mechanical whirling sound of gears spinning. Black panels were sliding over the white walls in the chamber. GLaDOS was making sure that there was nowhere for her to portal to, Chell realized. Despite her cocky words, GLaDOS was being cautious.

"They've found the entrance."

GLaDOS's amber optic dilated. "You can speak?" Her mechanical neck swung around until she was looking at Chell straight in the eye. "I can scratch the 'mute' out of 'mute lunatic.'"

Chell just blinked at her. "Scientists are trying to break into the elevator shaft."

GLaDOS laughed her cold, mechanical chuckle. "It's impossible for them to get in."

"I got in."

GLaDOS paused her mechanical movement to think. "You had the dual portal device with you. The console recognized it as Aperture equipment."

Chell stared at the walls, which were now pitch black, making the room appear large and cave-like. She now realized that she had no way of getting out of the room without GLaDOS's cooperation.

"What would happen if they got in?"

"They won't get in," GLaDOS snapped.

Chell watched GLaDOS's almost hypnotising movement, as she continued to talk. "Do you _really_ think that the greatest scientists of the age couldn't build a secure laboratory? Now, you might as well make yourself useful..."

A door slid open on the other side of the room. Chell stared towards it, knowing that going through the door would most likely doom her to testing in Aperture yet again.

***

"Sir, we are still unable—"

"I don't have _time_ for apologies and excuses. Do you know what's down there? Trillions of dollars in technology. Advances in not only engineering, but in biochemistry, biotechnology and physics. If I can get my hands on that, I will become bigger than Cave Johnson. I will have access to technology so secretive that all of its testers mysteriously vanished. I can market it all." Dr. James snatched the folder rom the short man across the table. "Make it happen."

As the man hurried off, Dr. James sat down at the computer. He clicked on one of the files on the desktop, and the old, grainy audio spat out of the computer's speakers._ "Hello investors, Cave Johnson here. Now I know you've sunk a lot of money into the dual portal device, but I'm here to tell you..."_

It was this, along with other clips of confidential video, which made him know he was on to something. And it would be his.

***  
>"Go through the door, Chell."<p>

GLaDOS's voice had a certain commanding tone in it, a tone that reminded Chell that GLaDOS was still in charge of the whole facility, and she wasn't going to let her escape for a second time without a fight. Chell didn't have many options, and she didn't want to take any risks.

If GLaDOS had actually deleted Caroline, she was doomed. The first time she had fought the AI, Caroline had little effect, but GLaDOS had had no experience. The second battle, the one Chell had only barely managed to avoid, would have ended with her death had it not been for Caroline.

"Did you delete Caroline?" Chell called out to GLaDOS.

GLaDOS's headpiece swirled closer to Chell. "Have you sustained brain damage since I've last seen you? Go through the door to resume your testing."

Chell stood still. GLaDOS chuckled.

"Oh, you stubborn human."

Chell stumbled as the floor beneath her started to split in two. She tried to step over to the stable floor beside her, but her legs slipped out from underneath her. The familiar sound of a portal being shot rang out as Chell slipped into the hole. The long fall boots absorbed the shock as she hit the floor. Turning around, she watched as the door to GLaDOS's room closed.

Her face set into its determined expression, and she turned to face the hallway leading into the testing chamber. Sprinting forward, she leaped onto an aerial faith plate, letting it catapult her to the other end of the room. She could feel GLaDOS watching her, spying from the red-lit cameras in the corner. She figured that the easiest way to get GLaDOS to talk and let her go was to go along with her plans, for now. Chell knew GLaDOS would be watching her every move, and escaping wouldn't be easy.

Throwing a cube onto a button, Chell walked through the now open door, and stood in front of the elevator that was now traveling down its shaft. The doors slid open, and Chell stared into the camera facing her. GLaDOS sighed, her camera turning to face Chell

"If you are going to continue standing around, I will have to forcibly move you again." GLaDOS explained. "Why are you here if you're not here to test? If you're going to be a marvellously space-wasting human, can you at least attempt to be a _helpful_ marvellously space-wasting human?"

The red light on the camera flickered as Chell continued to stare into it. "You know, most humans are intelligent enough to follow instructions when they're told. Of course, most humans also aren't lunatic sociopaths who come back to a place they've been told never to come back to. Step into the elevator, Chell."

**A/N: I was a bit less speedy getting this chapter out than I was getting the last one out, but I'm finally finished my exams so updates should (... hopefully) be quicker now, and the chapters should be longer. I figure I should PROBABLY mention that this story disregards the ending of the Portal 2 co-op, which is why Chell thinks about GLaDOS being in solitude, which she was (except for Atlas and P-Body).**

**Also, thanks to Chloe Kompton who is now the beta for this story. Thanks for paying more attention than I do, Chloe!**


End file.
